If you’re Scottish and in possession of a Twitter account, chances are you'll be familiar with @ChrisMcQueer, or ‘Chris McQueer’ if you choose to refer to him by the pseudonym on his book cover.

He's the one behind the 'illegal da fighting' tweet. If you're not familiar with this, unfollow the UNILADBIBLEBANTZ365 accounts and start using Twitter for actual patter.

If you are familiar with it, I don't need to persuade you to buy his debut book Hings. In fact, you're probably reading this during a break between stories.

McQueer has a devoted online fanbase, and so it’s been no surprise to see the rapturous reception provoked by his collection of short stories. Over the last few days he’s sold out readings in Waterstone’s, featured in national newspapers and been inundated with dozens upon dozens of tweets from followers showing off their copies of Hings.

Online enthusiasm was always assured, and I was eager to find out if the McQueer formula worked on the page.

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The quote on the cover calls McQueer a cross between Limmy and Irvine Welsh, and the comparison makes sense. If you enjoyed Limmy's Daft Wee Stories and That's Yer Lot books, as well as his longer televised detours (think DeeDee taking his first step on Yoker soil), there's much for you to enjoy here.

Irvine Welsh fans, meanwhile, will recognise the relish with which McQueer offers up unvarnished Scottish patter. No concessions are offered to those who don't get it, meaning there won’t necessarily be millions of casual fans who quite like it, but will inevitably be thousands of hardcore fans who absolutely love it.

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Any followers of McQueer’s social media output worried that he might have been forced to tone it down on the page will instantly have their fears allayed. Much like Nigel Farage’s autobiography, there’s a c**t on page one. We’re then treated to 25 stories – some sad, some funny, some plain bizarre – but all uniquely his. The author is unafraid to tackle some of life’s big questions, such as whether or not it’s acceptable to give your mum’s wheelchair to a sea creature from Australia.

If you’re one of those many book lovers who only part with your hard-earned when you know there’s a good chance of reading the words ‘veiny, triumphant shaft’, rest assured this book is for you (the ‘Shiftswap’ story in particular). You may also enjoy “furious torrent ae pish” from ‘Bowls’.

Chris has been compared to Limmy, above, and Irvine Welsh (Image: Media Scotland)

My favourite line comes from ‘Top Boy’, in which McQueer writes, “She burst into hysterical laughter, waking up the kids in the process, as she looked at her pathetic bastard of a husband in his sodden trackie”.

There’s no doubting McQueer’s way with a punchline or a wry aside, but the most impressive facet of his debut is the strong characterisation.

The book’s centrepiece is unquestionably the aforementioned ‘Bowls’, which says more in 38 pages than most books do in 300. A vivid look at the inner workings of a bowls club, told from multiple perspectives, ‘Bowls’ looks at class, loneliness and revenge with sensitivity and just the right amount of dark humour. Considerably longer than any of the other stories featured in Hings, it shows McQueer has the potential for a full-length novel in him.

There are moments of real tenderness, such as the unlikely holiday romance that blossoms in ‘Lads’ and the chemically-induced rush described in the brilliant line,“It started with a tingle in his feet and blossomed into a furnace of love and happiness that coursed through his entire body” from ‘Alan’s Shed’.

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At the same time, the likes of ‘Knees’, ‘Pat’ and ‘The Universe Factory’ could all slot neatly into the next series of Black Mirror, with ‘Pat’ at times reading like I, Daniel Blake filtered through the imagination of Charlie Brooker.

McQueer claims to be “regarded as the greatest seller of trainers the world has ever seen”, a bold claim from a man clearly unaware of my six-week stint in Allsports as a teenager.

On this evidence, however, his colleagues will soon be telling customers, ‘That Chris McQueer used to work here’.

Hings marks McQueer out as a major talent, and if he can build on this outstanding debut he’ll be a firm fixture in Scottish literature’s top tier for years to come.